The subject matter discussed in the background section should not be assumed to be prior art merely as a result of its mention in the background section. Similarly, a problem mentioned in the background section or associated with the subject matter of the background section should not be assumed to have been previously recognized in the prior art. The subject matter in the background section merely represents different approaches, which in and of themselves may also correspond to disclosed embodiments.
In a conventional computing environment in which search queries and database queries are supported, a computing device submits a database request to a local database, and receives a results set responsive to the query, or submits a search request (e.g., against a search index or to a search engine), and receives search results responsive to the search request.
Where such queries and searches are supported, the information returned is specific to one data source. For example, returned data may include a results set from a database which is accessible to a particular organization, or search results may include information from, for example, a particular search engine, a social networking site, or a search index accessible to a particular entity or organization. Such results are limited in scope as they are specific to one source.
Where additional query or search scope is required, for example, data is required from multiple sources, conventional mechanisms and techniques necessitate the development of multiple searches and/or multiple queries, so as to adequately cover the desired scope of data sources.
Such a problem is exacerbated where a client device is attempting to request information which may reside within the “cloud,” for example, data may be stored remotely by an on-demand database or services provider, and where the client device is further attempting to request information which does not reside within the same on-demand database or services provider. Because the desired data is not located in a central location, conventional mechanisms and techniques require multiple searches and/or queries to be performed.
The present state of the art may therefore benefit from the methods and systems for implementing virtual objects in an on-demand database environment as described herein.